As a teacher and as a parent, it is extremely important to research background information on the school you would like to get a job at or would like to send your child to. The most important areas to look up revolve around the school, the district, and the community. I have researched important information about Rogers High School.
School
The mission statement for Newport Rhode Island public schools is "The mission of the Newport Public School System, in partnership with students, families, and the community, is to provide challenging education with appropriate supports and academic rigor so that each student will possess the knowledge, skills, and character essential to productive citizenship, healthy choices, life-long learning, and the ability to make a meaningful contribution to our global society." (Public Schools Report 2007)
Rogers High School is presently located on 15 Wickham Road in Newport, Rhode Island. It is a public high school, grades 9-12 and has 819 students. At this high school, the student to teacher ratio is 11:1. This is above average, seeing as the state average student to teacher ratio is 13:1. As far as diversity ranges in the school, it is made up of 66% white, 18% black, 10% Hispanic, 3% American Indian, 2% Asian, and 1% unspecified (Macris, 2006). An above average 38% of the students are eligible for free or reduced price lunch, implying that the student economic level is quite low. This may be a surprising statistic to some, because many associate Newport with the rich, mansions (Information works, 2005-2006). On the contrary, most families that live in Newport are in the working, or lower middle class. The spending per pupil at Rogers High School is above average for Rhode Island. The average amount the state will spend on a student per year is $11,667 while at Rogers High School it is $14,169 (Macris, 2006).
The academic strength of Rogers High School is about average to other high schools in Rhode Island. There are eight AP courses offered at Rogers. The classes offered are Calculus AB, Chemistry, English Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition, Music Theory, Physics C: Mechanics, Psychology, and U.S. History. Rhode Island uses the New Standards Reference Exam (NSRE) to test eleventh grade students in English and Math. Rogers High School placed in the 54th percentile in English, and in the 46th percentile in math. This school is not a Title I eligible school. There is a total of 60 teachers at Rogers. The girl/boy ratio is 51% girls to 49% boys. The graduating rate is 82% (Information works, 2005-2006). Radios, tape recorders, CD players, and games must be stowed in lockers or backpacks during school hours. Use of electronic communication equipment (cell phones), by students, is prohibited in school. Fire drills are required by law and are an important safety precaution which the school often has (Macris, 2006). Rogers High School is not meeting the NCLB yearly standards, but has been improving through the years (Information works, 2005-2006).
District
As far as the district goes, Rogers High School is the one and only public high school in Newport, Rhode Island. This school offers great sports, and other after school activites (SIC) that keep the majority of the students involved. The sports teams are known as The Vikings, with red and white school colors. In the fall the school offers, cross country, soccer, football, girls’ tennis and volleyball, and cheerleading. In the winter, basketball, cheerleading, indoor track, rifle, swimming, and wrestling. Offered in the spring are baseball, golf, sailing, softball, and track. There are after school dance and theatre programs. There are also band and orchestra clubs available.The school weekly produces The Red and Black, the school newspaper, which was first published in 1920 in the form of a four-page newspaper. This program allows students to take photos, be journalists and run a small newspaper.
Not just anyone can become a teacher at Rogers High School, or at any school in Rhode Island. The qualifications that are required to become a teacher in Rhode Island are A teacher needs three qualifications at least obtaining a bachelor degree, a full state teacher certification, and to show knowledge of the subject matter and/or specialty subject that they are assigned to teach (Information works, 2005-2006).
There are public buildings, privileges, and offices available to all students at Rogers High School. Transportation by school buses is a privilege given to each eligible student. There is a health service office available all day at the high school. All enrolled students are allowed to visit during office hours. The George H. Norman Library is open before school, during school, and after the school day. There are fines if the student does not return a book. Every student is assigned a locker both in the school, and in the gym (Information works, 2005-2006).
Community
The school was first located on Clarke Street in September 1873. Funding for the school was provided by William Sanford Rogers. Next it moved to a bigger location on Church Street. The school first opened in 1957 at its present location. Within the area code of the school, 02840, the population is 26,525 people. The population age average is 35 years of age (Macris, 2006). Out of the people aged 25+ living in the community, 47% have a college degree, while 53% do not. The average commute time for Newport workers is 18 minutes, compared with 26 minutes nationwide (Information works, 2005-2006). On average, the warmest month is July and the coolest month is February in Newport. The maximum average of percipitation (SIC) occurs in March. The New England weather makes it extremely hard to predict the forecast for the seasons (Macris, 2006).
Many may think that everyone who lives in Newport lives in a large, colonial mansion, but that is not the least bit true! The average household size is 2.1 persons. The average household income is $40,788. The average number of rooms per house is 5.1, which is the exact same as the state average. The median age of housing structure is 68 years, high above the state average of 53 years. It is important to note that 42% of the population owns their homes, while an above average 58% rent (Macris, 2006). The cost of living in Newport is continuously going downhill. There are 1,675 people without cars. On the contrary, there are 5,353 with one car, 3,688 with two cars, and 850 people who have 3+ cars in their household! This implies that there is a huge gap between status level in Newport. As far as parents' education goes, 5% did not finish high school, 10% only graduated high school, 14% attempted but did not finish college, and a large percent of 71 graduated at least from a 4-year college (Macris, 2006).
The parents rate the school 4 out of 5 stars with only few complaints that the after school programs are going a bit downhill. For the most part the community feels proud to have a great high school. There are 9 public schools in Newport, 2,556 students, and 237 teachers. There are 26,475 people in Newport, 12,751 males and 13,724 females. The make-up of Newport is quite diverse. White is the biggest part of the population with 84.1%, next is Black/African American with 7.8%, just beneath is Hispanic with 5.5%, Asian with 1.3%, Indian with .8%, Hawaiin with .1% and other which makes up 2.4%. There are 2,383 people living in Newport that fluently speak another language along with English. The crime rate for Newport is far above average. In 2001, Newport was rated the second highest city in the U.S. for violent crimes taken place (Macris, 2006). There are 13 Christian churches in Newport that are opent ot he public. Newport has the largest number of colonial homes in the nation. Newport is one of the very few places in the nation where one can walk down a street that has been unchanged for over 200 years (Macris, 2006).
One can get a sense of what Boston, New York, and other old east coast cities would had looked like during the Revolutionary period by taking a trip to Newport. It is known as the sailing capital of the United States. Newport Country Club was one of the five founding clubs of the United States Golf Association; it hosted the first U.S. Open and the first US Amateur, both held in 1895. In June 2006, the city hosted the U.S. Women's Open (Macris, 2006).
If I were about to search for a job as a teacher, or look to send my child to a public school, I feel that it would be a great choice to be involved in a district such like Newport Rhode Island, and a high school like Rogers.
The mission statement for Newport Rhode Island public schools is "The mission of the Newport Public School System, in partnership with students, families, and the community, is to provide challenging education with appropriate supports and academic rigor so that each student will possess the knowledge, skills, and character essential to productive citizenship, healthy choices, life-long learning, and the ability to make a meaningful contribution to our global society." (Public Schools Report 2007)
Rogers High School is presently located on 15 Wickham Road in Newport, Rhode Island. It is a public high school, grades 9-12 and has 819 students. At this high school, the student to teacher ratio is 11:1. This is above average, seeing as the state average student to teacher ratio is 13:1. As far as diversity ranges in the school, it is made up of 66% white, 18% black, 10% Hispanic, 3% American Indian, 2% Asian, and 1% unspecified (Macris, 2006). An above average 38% of the students are eligible for free or reduced price lunch, implying that the student economic level is quite low. This may be a surprising statistic to some, because many associate Newport with the rich, mansions (Information works, 2005-2006). On the contrary, most families that live in Newport are in the working, or lower middle class. The spending per pupil at Rogers High School is above average for Rhode Island. The average amount the state will spend on a student per year is $11,667 while at Rogers High School it is $14,169 (Macris, 2006).
The academic strength of Rogers High School is about average to other high schools in Rhode Island. There are eight AP courses offered at Rogers. The classes offered are Calculus AB, Chemistry, English Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition, Music Theory, Physics C: Mechanics, Psychology, and U.S. History. Rhode Island uses the New Standards Reference Exam (NSRE) to test eleventh grade students in English and Math. Rogers High School placed in the 54th percentile in English, and in the 46th percentile in math. This school is not a Title I eligible school. There is a total of 60 teachers at Rogers. The girl/boy ratio is 51% girls to 49% boys. The graduating rate is 82% (Information works, 2005-2006). Radios, tape recorders, CD players, and games must be stowed in lockers or backpacks during school hours. Use of electronic communication equipment (cell phones), by students, is prohibited in school. Fire drills are required by law and are an important safety precaution which the school often has (Macris, 2006). Rogers High School is not meeting the NCLB yearly standards, but has been improving through the years (Information works, 2005-2006).
District
As far as the district goes, Rogers High School is the one and only public high school in Newport, Rhode Island. This school offers great sports, and other after school activites (SIC) that keep the majority of the students involved. The sports teams are known as The Vikings, with red and white school colors. In the fall the school offers, cross country, soccer, football, girls’ tennis and volleyball, and cheerleading. In the winter, basketball, cheerleading, indoor track, rifle, swimming, and wrestling. Offered in the spring are baseball, golf, sailing, softball, and track. There are after school dance and theatre programs. There are also band and orchestra clubs available.The school weekly produces The Red and Black, the school newspaper, which was first published in 1920 in the form of a four-page newspaper. This program allows students to take photos, be journalists and run a small newspaper.
Not just anyone can become a teacher at Rogers High School, or at any school in Rhode Island. The qualifications that are required to become a teacher in Rhode Island are A teacher needs three qualifications at least obtaining a bachelor degree, a full state teacher certification, and to show knowledge of the subject matter and/or specialty subject that they are assigned to teach (Information works, 2005-2006).
There are public buildings, privileges, and offices available to all students at Rogers High School. Transportation by school buses is a privilege given to each eligible student. There is a health service office available all day at the high school. All enrolled students are allowed to visit during office hours. The George H. Norman Library is open before school, during school, and after the school day. There are fines if the student does not return a book. Every student is assigned a locker both in the school, and in the gym (Information works, 2005-2006).
Community
The school was first located on Clarke Street in September 1873. Funding for the school was provided by William Sanford Rogers. Next it moved to a bigger location on Church Street. The school first opened in 1957 at its present location. Within the area code of the school, 02840, the population is 26,525 people. The population age average is 35 years of age (Macris, 2006). Out of the people aged 25+ living in the community, 47% have a college degree, while 53% do not. The average commute time for Newport workers is 18 minutes, compared with 26 minutes nationwide (Information works, 2005-2006). On average, the warmest month is July and the coolest month is February in Newport. The maximum average of percipitation (SIC) occurs in March. The New England weather makes it extremely hard to predict the forecast for the seasons (Macris, 2006).
Many may think that everyone who lives in Newport lives in a large, colonial mansion, but that is not the least bit true! The average household size is 2.1 persons. The average household income is $40,788. The average number of rooms per house is 5.1, which is the exact same as the state average. The median age of housing structure is 68 years, high above the state average of 53 years. It is important to note that 42% of the population owns their homes, while an above average 58% rent (Macris, 2006). The cost of living in Newport is continuously going downhill. There are 1,675 people without cars. On the contrary, there are 5,353 with one car, 3,688 with two cars, and 850 people who have 3+ cars in their household! This implies that there is a huge gap between status level in Newport. As far as parents' education goes, 5% did not finish high school, 10% only graduated high school, 14% attempted but did not finish college, and a large percent of 71 graduated at least from a 4-year college (Macris, 2006).
The parents rate the school 4 out of 5 stars with only few complaints that the after school programs are going a bit downhill. For the most part the community feels proud to have a great high school. There are 9 public schools in Newport, 2,556 students, and 237 teachers. There are 26,475 people in Newport, 12,751 males and 13,724 females. The make-up of Newport is quite diverse. White is the biggest part of the population with 84.1%, next is Black/African American with 7.8%, just beneath is Hispanic with 5.5%, Asian with 1.3%, Indian with .8%, Hawaiin with .1% and other which makes up 2.4%. There are 2,383 people living in Newport that fluently speak another language along with English. The crime rate for Newport is far above average. In 2001, Newport was rated the second highest city in the U.S. for violent crimes taken place (Macris, 2006). There are 13 Christian churches in Newport that are opent ot he public. Newport has the largest number of colonial homes in the nation. Newport is one of the very few places in the nation where one can walk down a street that has been unchanged for over 200 years (Macris, 2006).
One can get a sense of what Boston, New York, and other old east coast cities would had looked like during the Revolutionary period by taking a trip to Newport. It is known as the sailing capital of the United States. Newport Country Club was one of the five founding clubs of the United States Golf Association; it hosted the first U.S. Open and the first US Amateur, both held in 1895. In June 2006, the city hosted the U.S. Women's Open (Macris, 2006).
If I were about to search for a job as a teacher, or look to send my child to a public school, I feel that it would be a great choice to be involved in a district such like Newport Rhode Island, and a high school like Rogers.
Works Cited
Macris, G (2006,November 12). Newport Rhode Island News. Retrieved October 9, 2007, from New Days Ahead for
Vocational Education in R.I. Website: http://www.projo.com/ri/newport/content/tech_11-12-06_JH2PJS3.3fa3154.html
Public Schools Report, (2007) "Rogers High School". Public Schools and Online Education Information. Retrieved October 7, 2007. http://schools.publicschoolsreport.com/RhodeIsland/Newport/RogersHighSchool.html.
Information Works, (2005-2006). Using Information: Rogers High School. Newport District. Retrieved October 17, 2007, from Information Works Web site:
http://infoworks.ride.uri.edu/2007/queries/FindSch.asp
CR EVAL - NOELLE K